getting down to what matters most

February 13, 2010

I'm now working with a dancer who's just getting back into ballet. The challenge is how to get her back into the right form and function as a ballerina. I need her to do an a la seconde promenade by May. To date, she has difficulty lifting her leg at 90 degrees and at the right level of turn-out. It has likely to do with weight, so I challenged her to lose 10lbs. I gave her a target of 2lbs per month maximum , considering that there is no quick weight loss plan that does not have a high risk to one's overall health.

I also started giving her challenging endurance routines to build slow-twitch aerobic fibers that will increase her metabolism. Today I gave her long coup de pie and retire balances. I will likely give 8 count plies, tendus and rond de jambes to work on slow fibers of the inner thigh and gluteals. Hopefully this gives me the desired results.